Headlines

WaPo

Netanyahu emerges weakened from Israeli elections

The result meant that Netanyahu, whose faction remained the largest in parliament, would almost certainly have to join forces with Yesh Atid, now second in size. The centrist party’s demands include resuming negotiations with the Palestinians, and an alliance could result in a government less tilted to the right than Netanyahu’s outgoing administration.

An Israeli government with a large centrist component could improve Netanyahu’s tense ties with the Obama administration and ease Israel’s international isolation, which has been deepened by the impasse in peace talks and by Netanyahu’s recent announcements of stepped-up settlement building in the West Bank…

Lapid’s campaign for equal service and easing the burden on a struggling middle class resonated with many secular Israelis, who pay high taxes and serve in the military. He says that the ultra-Orthodox should join the workforce and do a stint of national service, either in the military or in a civilian capacity, such as working in hospitals or helping the elderly…

Netanyahu, who pledged in his speech to address the issue of “sharing the burden,” will be hard-pressed to square Lapid’s demands with those of the ultra-Orthodox parties that have been his traditional coalition partners. Shas, a longtime ally of Netanayahu, won 11 seats.

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Win an election in the USA at 51% and it’s a Mandate… Win an election in Israel by more than 51% and you’re weakened and forced to compromise. Hmmm… Ok.

Kaptain Amerika on January 23, 2013 at 1:47 PM

That would be a valid argument if Netanyahu’s Likud party (or even the Likud Beiteinu coalition) had won 51% of the vote in yesterdays Israeli election. However, Likud Beiteinu appears to have won only about 30% of the vote. This will translate into about 31 seats in the Israel legislature going forward. There are a total of 120 seats in that legislature. Previously, Netanyahu’s party held 42 seats.

In sum, it is probably fair to say losing 1/4 of his party’s seats in the legislature could be seen as “weakening” Netanyahu.

Win an election in the USA at 51% and it’s a Mandate… Win an election in Israel by more than 51% and you’re weakened and forced to compromise. Hmmm… Ok.

Kaptain Amerika on January 23, 2013 at 1:47 PM

They are completely different systems of government. In our two party Republic with a distinct executive office you know which party will lead by election night. In Israel every government has been a coalition of very different parties and it will be weeks before we know what the coalition will look like along with who gets key ministerial positions. Netanyahu will certainly be the PM but we have no idea what parties will participate. He could form a coalition with the nationalists and religious parties or he might look for a broader centrist coalition. That will determine the direction of Israel’s government.

Obama’s party lost control of the House and is down 5 Senate seats from his first election. His electoral vote and popular vote were significantly less in his second election. But our media proclaim him “vindicated” and with “maximum power” to enact his progressive agenda now. And Netanyahu is supposed to bow to him??

Obama’s party lost control of the House and is down 5 Senate seats from his first election. His electoral vote and popular vote were significantly less in his second election. But our media proclaim him “vindicated” and with “maximum power” to enact his progressive agenda now. And Netanyahu is supposed to bow to him??

Idiots.

rockmom on January 23, 2013 at 2:44 PM

And yet it is the beauty of the US System…Obama can claim a mandate….Eretz Ysrael is very “fair”no one has EVER won a majority in the Knesset. There is always a coalition, and often the coalition partner is some some party or parties. Or the Grand Coalition that forms cannot actually do much because Likud or mapai/Mapam don’t agree on much.

It’s the difference between everyone having their say, and actually getting something done.